Meet the Patzer

Last week [see last post] I won my game (definitively) because my opponent overlooked a mate in one. Due to this miss of the mate in one he lost instantly. In the variation he played, he would have lost later rather than sooner, even without the allowing of mate in one, since he dropped a piece and a pawn in his futile queening attempt. This miss just allowed me to win instantly. This is not meant to denigrate my opponent. It is just a simple fact. If you haven’t missed (and/or fell victim to) a mate in one, then you haven’t been playing chess for very long.

Dan Heisman, in his book “Back to Basics: Tactics,” says something to the effect of “Patzer sees a check; Patzer gives a check.” None of us wants to be a patzer. We all check our checks. My game two weeks ago is a case in point. At approximately move 26, I was able to check my opponent. Better yet, he had less than one minute left on his clock until the time control at move 40. He was going to have to pull 13 solid moves in less than one minute! Golden! For me. He had a threatened (next move) check, and I had an immediate (this move) check. Patzer sees a check; Patzer gives a check.

I had several options (of moves at the board), but the two most promising were 1) a prophylactic move against his check, and 2) delivering my check.

So, I checked my check. After I moved knight to e3 delivering check, he could either capture the knight with his queen and then my queen captures his and I win his queen, or he could move his king out of check and into a vicious attack on the diagonals delivered by both my queen and bishop. Beautiful! I played the check!!! Patzer sees a check; Patzer gives a check.

Zero hesitation followed my check. My opponent was ready to sacrifice his queen! He immediately captured with the queen? What the f***? He drops his queen! He drops his queen? Except... after I take with my queen, he delivers that “threatened” check I said he had, which is actually Check Mate! Son of a...! Patzer sees a check; Patzer gives a check.

While Heisman does say (something to the effect of), “Patzer sees a check; Patzer gives a check.” He is also careful to point out that you DO have to examine all checks; they may be winning. In this case, I checked the check and I won the queen, But I did not check the opponent's very next move where he mates me! So, rather than win his queen, I was about to drop mine!? No!

As Alekhine would say, “The Point!” The point is, if you see you win material (at minimum) check the move after. Nothing is for free. With less than a minute on my opponent’s clock to make 13 solid moves, I could have played almost anything. I just had to keep it complicated and make him think. Burn his clock and burn his brain. Instead, What did I do? Patzer sees a check; Patzer gives a check.

Moral: check your checks! And then, AFTER you check your checks, check (at least) one move deeper! Hello. I am Sam. Meet the Patzer.

Postscript: Lesson learned (even if the hard way); it will not happen again (soon).